Day 46 Post-Impact - Morning
The planning room was crowded.
Sarnav stood at the head of the table, staring at the holographic map Jade had rigged from salvaged equipment. The S-rank rift pulsed red on the display, a warning beacon in the northeastern quadrant of their territory.
"Twenty-three point seven kilometers," Chen Wei reported. "Through urban ruins, two potential ambush corridors, and at least one confirmed void creature nest."
"The nest?" Sarnav asked.
"D-rank, maybe C. Our scouts didn't engage, but they counted at least thirty signatures."
Thirty D-rank creatures between you and an S-rank rift, the system observed. The universe does enjoy its difficulty curves.
"What about the survivors inside?"
Jade pulled up sensor data. "Twelve confirmed signatures, possibly more. They've been in there approximately two weeks based on rift formation analysis. The fact that they're still alive suggests either a powerful healer, a defensible position, or both."
"Or they're running out of time," Ishani added. She stood against the wall, arms crossed, her athletic frame tense with restrained energy. "Two weeks in a rift with limited supplies? They're desperate."
[S-RANK RIFT - UPDATED ANALYSIS]
[SURVIVOR COUNT: 12-15 ESTIMATED]
[SURVIVAL PROBABILITY: DECREASING 3% DAILY]
[RECOMMENDED ACTION: RECONNAISSANCE WITHIN 48 HOURS]
[FULL ASSAULT WITHIN 96 HOURS]
"I'll lead the recon personally," Sarnav said.
The room went quiet.
"Sayang, that's..." Nisha started.
"Necessary. I'm the only one who can assess an S-rank threat accurately. Anyone else goes in there, they might not come back with useful intel. Or at all."
She's going to argue, the system predicted. They all are. Your wives have an unfortunate tendency toward emotional responses when your safety is concerned.
"I'm not arguing," Nisha said, her jaw tight. "But I'm coming with you."
"So am I," Ishani added.
"And me," Minji chimed in. "Reconnaissance is literally my specialty. Illusions, remember?"
Through the network, he felt their determination. Not asking permission. Stating facts.
"Small team," he conceded. "Me, Minji for concealment, Ishani for combat support, and Hafiz for extraction coordination. We scout the perimeter, assess entry points, and pull back. No engagement unless absolutely necessary."
"When?" Chen Wei asked.
"Tomorrow. Dawn. I want the rest of today for preparation." He looked around the room. "What else?"
The refugee situation was becoming critical.
After the planning session, Sarnav walked the settlement with Chen Wei, reviewing the expansion progress. What he saw wasn't encouraging.
"A hundred and twelve new arrivals this week alone," Chen Wei reported. "Word's spreading faster than we can build. The eastern districts are emptying out, and everyone's heading here."
The temporary shelters stretched in crowded rows near the southern wall. Families huddled in makeshift tents. Children played in muddy streets between prefab structures that had been meant for equipment storage, not housing.
[HOUSING CAPACITY: 92%]
[CRITICAL THRESHOLD: 95%]
[RECOMMENDED: ACCELERATE WESTERN EXPANSION]
"We need more builders," Sarnav said.
"We need more everything. Materials, manpower, awakened who can shape earth or reinforce structures." Chen Wei pulled up a tablet with personnel files. "Good news is, we got twelve new awakened in the last batch of refugees. Most are E and F rank, but there's one interesting case."
He tapped a file.
[NEW AWAKENED - PRIORITY FILE]
[NAME: KUMAR RAJAN]
[AGE: 34]
[RANK: D]
[ABILITY: EARTH MANIPULATION]
[POTENTIAL: HIGH]
[NOTE: FORMER CONSTRUCTION FOREMAN. IDEAL FOR EXPANSION PROJECTS.]
"Earth manipulator with construction experience," Chen Wei continued. "He's worth ten normal workers. Maybe twenty."
"Get him integrated immediately. Full rations, priority housing for his family. I want him leading the western expansion by end of week."
"Already done. Ishani's been handling awakened intake. She's efficient."
Your wives are proving useful beyond their primary function, the system noted. Though I maintain that their primary function remains underutilized.
Sarnav ignored that.
They continued walking, reviewing progress, addressing concerns. The mundane work of leadership that consumed hours but built foundations.
By the time he reached the training grounds, the sun was high and his patience was thin.
Afternoon
Ishani was waiting for him.
The training grounds occupied the upper level of a converted parking structure, open to the sky, the concrete floor marked with sparring circles and training equipment. A dozen awakened practiced in various areas, their abilities flashing and crackling under supervision.
But Ishani had claimed the largest circle for herself.
She wore workout clothes that bordered on indecent. A sports bra that struggled to contain her chest, compression shorts that hugged every curve of her hips and thighs. Her body was a testament to years of fitness modeling, toned and defined, her abs visible even from across the room. Sweat already glistened on her brown skin.
[ISHANI SUPPIAH - WIFE #2]
[PHYSICAL: 5'6" | 35DD-24-36]
[CURRENT STATE: ELEVATED AROUSAL, COMPETITIVE]
[NOTE: SUBJECT HAS BEEN ANTICIPATING THIS SPARRING SESSION FOR THREE DAYS]
"You're late," she called out, stretching in ways that were definitely meant to be provocative. Her leg extended straight up beside her head, flexibility that came from years of yoga and dance. "I've been warming up for an hour."
"I was reviewing expansion plans."
"Excuses." She dropped into a fighting stance, light already flickering around her fists. "Come on, sayang. Show me what Soul Transformation can do."
The other awakened in the training area suddenly found reasons to be elsewhere. Ishani's sparring sessions with Sarnav had become legendary. Intense, destructive, and usually ending in ways that made everyone uncomfortable.
She's broadcasting arousal through the network, the system observed. Has been since this morning. The others can feel it. Nisha is pretending not to notice. Minji is taking bets on how long the sparring lasts before it becomes something else.
"How long does Minji give us?"
Seven minutes.
"She underestimates my self-control."
Does she?
Ishani attacked.
Light blazed as she closed the distance, faster than any non-cultivator could track. Her fist aimed for his chest, wreathed in golden radiance that would have blinded a normal person.
Sarnav caught it.
The impact shook the training ground. Cracks spiderwebbed across the concrete beneath his feet. Ishani grinned, wild and fierce.
"There you are."
They exchanged blows at speeds that blurred. Ishani was D-rank, far below his Soul Transformation power, but she made up for it with aggression and creativity. Light flashed and reformed, creating afterimages, blinding bursts, solid constructs that shattered against his defenses.
He could have ended it instantly. Could have overwhelmed her with pure power. But that wasn't the point. The point was the dance, the push and pull, the way her eyes lit up when he actually tried.
"Harder," she demanded, ducking under a sweep and driving her knee toward his ribs. "Stop holding back."
He increased his speed by a fraction. She adapted, laughing, her attacks becoming wilder, more desperate.
"That's it! More!"
They fought across the training ground, destroying equipment, cracking pillars, driving each other toward the edge of the open level where the city sprawled below.
Ishani overextended. Sarnav caught her wrist, spun her, pinned her against a support pillar with her back to his chest.
"Yield," he said.
She was breathing hard, her body pressed against him, her ass grinding back against his obvious arousal.
"Make me."
Six minutes, the system noted. Minji was close.
"Everyone's watching," he murmured against her ear.
"I know." Her voice was husky, thick with want. "Let them."
[EXHIBITIONISM KINK: CONFIRMED]
[PARTNER AROUSAL: 94%]
[PUBLIC SETTING ENHANCEMENT: ACTIVE]
The remaining awakened in the training area had stopped pretending to practice. They watched with a mixture of embarrassment and fascination as Ishani writhed against him, making no effort to hide what she wanted.
"Sayang," she breathed. "Please. I've been waiting all day. All week."
"Here?"
"Here. Now. I don't care who sees."
Through the network, he felt the other wives react. Nisha's embarrassed arousal. Minji's delighted encouragement. Jade's sardonic commentary about public indecency. Ananya's shy fascination.
Exhibition bonus will increase essence yield by approximately twenty percent, the system calculated. I recommend proceeding.
"You heard the system," Ishani said, because of course she could feel his thoughts through the bond. "It's practically a cultivation requirement."
He spun her around, lifted her against the pillar. Her legs wrapped around his waist immediately, her core grinding against his hardness.
"If anyone has a problem with this," Sarnav announced to the training ground at large, "leave now."
Nobody left. A few moved closer.
Ishani laughed. "Told you. They want to watch."
He kissed her hard, swallowing her moan. Her hands clawed at his training clothes, yanking his shirt up, nails raking down his back hard enough to draw blood.
"Yes," she gasped. "Mark me. Let everyone see."
He bit her neck, sucking hard, leaving a bruise that would be visible for days. She cried out, loud, not caring who heard.
"Sayang! More!"
He pulled her sports bra up, freeing her breasts. They were spectacular, full and firm, nipples already hard. He took one in his mouth, biting gently, and she screamed.
"FUCK! Yes!"
The watchers shifted, some uncomfortable, some openly aroused. A woman in the back had her hand down her pants. A man was adjusting himself repeatedly.
Ishani noticed. Her grin turned feral.
"They're getting off on this. On us." She grabbed his face, forced him to look at her. "Make them jealous, sayang. Show them what they can't have."
He yanked her shorts aside. She wasn't wearing underwear. Her pussy was dripping, slick arousal coating her thighs.
"Always prepared," she purred. "I've been wet since breakfast. Thinking about this. About you taking me in front of everyone."
He freed his cock. Her eyes widened at the sight, like they always did.
"So big. Every time I see it, I can't believe it fits inside me."
"It fits."
"Prove it."
He drove into her in one thrust.
Ishani screamed. Not pain. Pure, overwhelming pleasure. Her pussy clenched around him, tight and hot and impossibly wet. Her back arched against the pillar, her nails digging into his shoulders.
"YES! Sayang, yes! So deep!"
He started moving immediately. No gentle warm-up. They'd done enough warming up during the sparring. Now it was hard, fast, brutal.
"Harder!" she demanded. "Everyone's watching! Give them a show!"
He obliged. His enhanced strength let him fuck her with force that would have broken a normal woman. The pillar cracked behind her. Her screams echoed across the training ground.
"So good! Sayang, you fuck me so good!"
Through the network, the other wives felt everything. Minji sent enthusiastic encouragement. Nisha's embarrassment had shifted to reluctant arousal. Jade was recording something, probably readings. Ananya had gone very quiet in a way that meant she was touching herself.
"They can feel us," Ishani gasped. "Your other wives. They're feeling me get fucked."
"Does that turn you on?"
"Everything turns me on when you're inside me!"
He shifted angle, hitting the spot that made her eyes roll back. She came immediately, screaming, her pussy convulsing around his cock.
"DON'T STOP! MORE! GIVE ME MORE!"
He didn't stop. Fucked her through the orgasm, building her toward another. Her flexibility meant he could bend her in ways that would be impossible for others. He lifted one of her legs over his shoulder, driving deeper, hitting places that made her incoherent.
"Saya... sayaNNGH... can't... too much... too GOOD!"
Her second orgasm crashed through her, harder than the first. The network feedback loop amplified it, sent echoes through all his wives. Somewhere in the compound, Nisha gasped. Minji whistled appreciatively. Jade muttered something about "acceptable data." Ananya came silently in her room.
"One more," he demanded. "Give me one more, Ishani."
"Can't... already... three times this week... you're going to break me..."
"You're not broken yet." He increased his pace, slamming into her hard enough that the pillar groaned. "One more."
"SAYANG!"
She came a third time, her whole body shaking, tears streaming down her face. Her pussy clamped down on him so tight it was almost painful.
The sensation pushed him over.
He buried himself to the hilt and came, pulse after pulse filling her. She moaned at the sensation, her oversensitive body twitching with each spurt.
"Yes... inside me... fill me up..."
[DUAL CULTIVATION COMPLETE]
[PARTNER: ISHANI SUPPIAH (WIFE #2)]
[BASE ESSENCE: 2,000]
[BOND MULTIPLIER: x20]
[ATHLETIC BONUS: x1.3]
[EXHIBITION BONUS: x1.2]
[TOTAL ESSENCE GAINED: +62,400]
They stayed pressed together against the cracked pillar, both breathing hard. Around them, the watchers slowly dispersed, some red-faced, some adjusting clothing.
"That was..." Ishani started.
"Excessive."
"Perfect." She kissed him lazily. "We should do this more often."
"We broke the pillar."
"Worth it." She unwrapped her legs, wincing slightly as he slid out of her. His cum dripped down her thighs. She made no move to clean it up. "Let them see. Let everyone know who I belong to."
Exhibition kink satisfied, the system noted. Partner satisfaction: maximum. Public relations impact: uncertain.
"I don't care about PR," Ishani said, pulling her clothes back into place. "I care about you. And about getting fucked so hard I can't walk straight."
"Mission accomplished."
"For now." She grinned. "I expect a rematch tomorrow."
"I'll be on reconnaissance tomorrow."
Her expression shifted, the playfulness fading into something more serious. "I know. That's why I needed this today. Needed to remember what I'm fighting for." She touched his face. "Come back safe, sayang. Come back to us."
"Always."
Evening
The scout returned with updated intel.
"Rift's stable," Hafiz reported. "More stable than we expected. The dimensional energy is concentrated, not dispersing. That's good news and bad news."
"Explain."
"Good news: it's not going to collapse randomly. The survivors inside have time." He pulled up sensor readings. "Bad news: whatever's inside is powerful enough to stabilize a rift through sheer presence. S-rank minimum. Possibly higher."
The room was quiet.
[RIFT ANALYSIS - UPDATED]
[STABILITY: HIGH]
[CAUSE: POWERFUL ENTITY WITHIN]
[THREAT LEVEL: S-RANK CONFIRMED]
[POSSIBLY S+ CLASS]
[RECOMMENDATION: CAUTION]
S-plus class, the system observed. How exciting. You haven't faced anything above A-rank since your breakthrough. This could be educational.
"Or lethal."
Also educational. Just differently.
"What about the survivors?" Sarnav asked.
"Still twelve confirmed signatures. One of them is strong. B-rank, maybe A. Probably their healer or defender." Hafiz hesitated. "There's also something else. Energy signature we couldn't identify. Not void, not human, not creature. Something... different."
"Different how?"
"I don't know. It's why we need closer reconnaissance."
Sarnav nodded. "Dawn tomorrow. Small team. We get close, gather data, and pull back. No heroics."
"And if the survivors need immediate extraction?"
"Then we extract them." He looked around the room. "But carefully. This isn't about proving anything. It's about gathering intelligence and saving lives."
Through the network, he felt his wives' concern. Their fear for him. Their determination to have his back.
You're surrounded by people who love you, the system observed. It's inefficient for combat but apparently valuable for emotional support.
"I'll take the trade."
I suppose you would.
Night
The master suite was quiet.
All five wives had insisted on sleeping together tonight. Not for sex. For closeness. For the comfort of knowing they were all there, all safe, all together.
Nisha curled against his left side. Ishani claimed the right, still pleasantly sore from the afternoon. Minji sprawled across his legs, because she was incapable of sleeping normally. Ananya nestled at Nisha's back. Jade sat propped against the headboard, pretending to work on her tablet but really just wanting to be near.
"Tomorrow," Nisha whispered. "Promise me you'll be careful."
"I promise."
"And promise you'll come back."
"I promise that too."
Through the network, he felt them all. Their love, their fear, their faith in him. Five women who had given him everything. Who continued to give him everything, every day.
He wouldn't fail them.
"Sleep," he said. "Dawn comes early."
They slept, tangled together, the network humming with shared warmth.
And Sarnav lay awake, planning, preparing, thinking about S-rank rifts and unknown energy signatures and the survivors counting on him.
You're worried, the system observed.
"Shouldn't I be?"
Worry is unproductive. Preparation is useful. You've prepared. Now rest.
For once, the system was right.
He closed his eyes and let sleep take him.
[DAY 46 COMPLETE]
[TOTAL ESSENCE: 345,700 / 1,000,000]
[HARMONY POINTS: 347]
[WIVES: 5 / 32]
[NETWORK STATUS: OPTIMAL]
[TOMORROW: S-RANK RIFT RECONNAISSANCE]
[SURVIVORS AWAITING RESCUE: 12+]
[UNKNOWN ENERGY SIGNATURE: PENDING ANALYSIS]